Ogonowski’s First TV AD Is Impressive

Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski’s first paid political TV ad has been released – & it’s very impressive. You can check it out at the O-Man’s blog (http://blogonowski.b…)

The ad’s aim is to introduce Ogonowski to the voters & in that regard the ad works. It also ellicits a strong emotional response when it touches upon 9-11 & how it impacted Ogonowski & his family without dwelling too much on the moment in a maudlin manner. Slickly produced, the ad does a great job presenting a folksy, patriotic & likable image of the O-Man.

But while Ogonowski shines in a tightly scripted piece of paid media, he stumbled a bit when he was recently interviewed by TV reporter Jon Keller (again, check out the O-Man’s blog for the interview). Keller asked intelligent, pointed questions on the issues of illegal immigration & the realities of partisan power politics. Ogonowski tended to avoid giving a direct answer & stuck to his talking points without embarassing himself. The result was a lack of spontaneity & the opportunity to have an emotional connection with the audience.

I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again – Ogonowski needs to mix it up in a few primary debates if only to prepare himself for a tough general election with seasoned opponents. I certainly understand the campaign’s rationale thus far but the O-Man will benefit greatly from getting into the ring to debate. It will pay big dividends for him in the general election.

On a side note, Constitution candidate Pastor Kevin Thompson (http://www.thompson0…) & Ogonowski were both at the recent Lowell Folk Festival. Sadly, Thompson was more interested in stalking the O-Man as Ogonowski pressed the flesh. To his credit, Ogonowski chose to ignore Thompson & focus on the work at hand. While Thompson raised an important issue regarding “free speech” zones, he came across as petty & self-righteous. Not a great image to impart to the public when one is counting on first impressions in order to be taken seriously as a legitimate candidate.